Monday, June 20, 2016

Skara Brae - Scotland

Rick sent information last week that he thought might be of interest to Scottish researchers. Choose the following link to see photos and information about the archaeological site on the Orkney Islands called Skara Brae.  http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/skarabrae/

Thanks for the info, Rick.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Library and Archives Canada

According to the most recent Internet Genealogy magazine (June/July), the LAC digital archive has several new databases. I seem to remember that our Canadian members have reported that the site is not as user-friendly as it could be, but if you have ancestors connected to any of the following categories, it is probably worth a look.

"War of 1812" contains more than 45,000 references to names of people involved in that war.

"Carleton Papers" contains names from The Book of Negroes (1783) taken from a register containing details about Black Loyalists evacuated from the port of New York at the end of the Revolution. You can also find references to Loyalists and British Soldiers (1772-1784) with names taken from the British Headquarters Papers in New York.

"Immigrants from Ukraine (1890-1930)" has more than 14,000 references to names of Ukrainians who arrived in Canada and the United States during those years. Names were taken from passenger lists for both Canadian and American ports.

"Immigrants to Canada, Porters and Domestics (1899-1949)" has more than 8,000 references to individuals with those occupations who came to Canada during those years.


Saturday, June 11, 2016

New York State Research

Research in New York can be challenging for many reasons; here's a chance to take advantage of some online records. The New England Historic Genealogical Society is allowing free access to its New York records for the entire month of June. Learn more about the website and sign up at www.americanancestors.com. On their home page, click on the Find Out More tab under "New York Wall in Your Way?"

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Legacy's June Webinars

Time flies when the motor home is not behaving...

The June 1 webinar provided information about the American Ancestors website for members of the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. It is still available for viewing this week.

Wednesday, June 8: "Researching Your Washington State Ancestors" is for beginning and intermediate researchers. You will learn a brief history of the state and where to find records online and in person, including many of the highlights of the Washington State Digital Archives.

Friday, June 10: For intermediate researchers, "Introduction to the Freedman's Bureau" will focus on the records from the Bureau, and how these records opened doors before 1870 for the African American family.

Wednesday, June 15: Another lecture suggested for intermediate researchers is called "Ticked Off! Those Pesky Pre-1850 Census Tick Marks." The speaker will explain what the marks mean and how you can use them to help in your research.

Wednesday, June 22: If you have been using German parish records, the intermediate webinar "Digging Deeper in German Parish Records" will provide examples and cases to help interpret those records.

Wednesday, June 29: "Circles or Triangles? What Shape is Your DNA?" will discuss the two methods of DNA research. This webinar is also suggested for intermediate researchers.

Register or read more about it at www.familytreewebinars.com. Be sure to check the time schedule; I noticed that at least one of the webinars is an evening session.

Monday, June 6, 2016

Google Searches

GenealogyInTime eMagazine had an interesting article last week about the limitations of Google searches for genealogy. They point out that Google limits search results to a maximum of two listings per website per page.

For example, this means that your search for an ancestor might list two results from FamilySearch, but there may be several more on subsequent result pages. The article suggests that if your search finds results on one website that you repeat the search using both your surname and the website. This method should find all references.

I have mentioned this particular newsletter in the past. It usually posts weekly and always has a list of new genealogy record sets for the week. You can subscribe at newsletter@genealogyintime.com.